Union members rally outside Freightliner (video)

Published: Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 05:40 PM.

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The UAW chapters in Gastonia and Mount Holly each represent more than 1,000 employees.

Union leaders and representatives from the truck manufacturer found themselves negotiating until well after the midnight deadline during the last contract talks in 2010. Disagreements over wages and benefits, as well as safety concerns, dominated the discussions until a deal was finally struck about 5 the following morning.

Negotiations typically boil down to worker concerns about equity and the company trying to balance those concerns with profitability.

You can reach reporter Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.

The rally was the second of the day for employees who hope negotiations will lead to a strong three-year contract.

Ginger Ramsey stood with friends and co-workers wearing her bright orange union shirt and holding a rally sign. Ramsey, who has worked at Freightliner for 20 years, said she hopes negotiations will mean pay raises, better health insurance and a focus on work place safety.

She has confidence that production will continue to pick up at the parts plant.

“We are going strong right now,” she said.

Tuesday’s first rally started at 5:30 a.m., just before the start of the first shift. The second was before the afternoon shift.

Workers came in early, parked their cars and joined the crowd outside the gates at the Freightliner plant on Tulip Drive.

Drivers honked their horns or pumped their fists as they drove in and out of the plant.

Men and women waved signs that read “You sell it here, buy it here” or “WARNING: Will Strike if Provoked.”

The labor contracts between the UAW and Daimler Trucks will affect workers at three North Carolina manufacturing plants, including the Mount Holly medium-duty truck plant, the Gastonia parts plant and the heavy-duty truck plant in the Rowan County city of Cleveland.

Negotiations began Tuesday, according to David Giroux, spokesman for Daimler Trucks North America.

Daimler considers the process confidential, he said.

The UAW chapters in Gastonia and Mount Holly each represent more than 1,000 employees.

Union leaders and representatives from the truck manufacturer found themselves negotiating until well after the midnight deadline during the last contract talks in 2010. Disagreements over wages and benefits, as well as safety concerns, dominated the discussions until a deal was finally struck about 5 the following morning.

Negotiations typically boil down to worker concerns about equity and the company trying to balance those concerns with profitability.

You can reach reporter Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.